You should add something like Arktos: The Myth of the Pole in Science, Symbolism and Nazi Survival by Joscelyn Godwin. It's not promoting the theory of Nazi survival, but documenting the theories people had about the place, how it's thought that it was once an Edenic paradise. I think the idea is that Earth wasn't tilted on its axis at some point in the past, so it was constantly summer until a big asteroid knocked us bent. From what I remember, and I'm not a scientist AT ALL, evidence for vegetation has been found deep under the snow and ice. I doubt it's because of racist super humans hiding out there, but I wouldn't know. She talks about astrology, too. It's been a while since I read the book, and I'm not an expert on the stars either, but supposedly the zodiac signs match better when you un-tilt the earth. There are crazy people out there who believe King Arthur was created to represent Arktos, one of the stars in the Ursa Major above Antarctica, and the 12 accompanying knights of the Round Table complete the 12 zodiac signs. I have that passage in front of me, and Joscelyn Godwin quotes one of the many quacks in this book who says Ursa Major in Old English is 'Arthur's chariot', but there is no further source. I don't think it's real teebeeaitch. I just want to make clear too that the book isn't promoting these ideas, just writing about them. It's a real academic treatment and, when presented, makes you realise how stupid these theories are. I'm not trying to shill Nazi propaganda, I promise! Also Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne would be another good shout.

tgestabrook

1 year ago

Both of these are perfect, thank you! Yeah the goal of this list is just to collect books documenting the Antarctica in the 'cultural imagination' and nazis in the south pole is absolutely part of that, for better or for worse.

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